Quinn gets first ever NBA start

There was some good news amid the latest Jason Williams' injury and the Gary Payton suspension, at least for one Heat member - Chris Quinn made his first NBA start of his career.

The free agent guard made the Heat roster out of training camp because he was able to show that he can be an effective floor leader, displaying the same heady game he had while at Notre Dame. Known for his ballhandling and ability to run an offense efficiently, Quinn has been able to log minutes all season long due to the Heat's lack of depth at the point guard position.

Yet tonight, he was able to shine on his own.

Quinn scored 14 points on 4-8 shooting, 2-4 from three point range. He also logged a healthy 36 minutes - the last time a Heat point guard actually logged 30+ minutes? Tim Hardaway, against the Magic, in 1997. Ok, I was kidding about that last part, but it does seem like it has been a while.

Still, what Quinn was able to do was provide the Heat with an effective and efficient point guard. He didn't try to do too much; he had 5 rebounds and 5 assists over against 2 turnovers. He wasn't flashy; he hit his shots and handled his assignment.

"I think any time you get thrown into that situation you get a little nervous, but once you're out on the court, it's just basketball," Quinn said. "The only thing you can do is compete and play as hard as you can. It went great because we got a win. I think that's the most important thing."

That makes it 4 straight for the Heat, who also got a very good performance out of Shaq tonight against a tough, young frontcourt. Perhaps we will see more of Quinn, Lord knows we need someone to eat up the minutes at PG to get us through the season. Unless Riley is working on a trade in between rehabbing his knees and hip.

Not bad for the only guy whose last name begins with a "q" in the NBA.